CAL launches scheduled charter cargo service to Columbus in U.S.

Taipei, China Airlines (CAL) on Tuesday started scheduled charter cargo flights to Columbus, Ohio. in the United States, expanding business opportunities in the American market.

The Boing 747 freighter aircraft will be used to operate three round-trip flights to Columbus, CAL's 11th cargo destination in the U.S., after cities such as Chicago, Seattle and Anchorage.

There will be two flights on Sunday and one on Tuesday, CAL added.

CAL said it is eyeing the transit potential of the city's Rickenbacker International Airport, which saw 70 percent growth in the volume of imports and exports it handles last year, compared with 2016.

The move also seeks to expand the carrier's global cargo network, CAL said, citing data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that it shipped 1.46 million tonnes of cargo last year, ranking seventh worldwide up 10.3 percent from 2016.

The revenue generated from cargo business reached NT$26.1 billion (US$84.6 million) during the first seven months of 2018, up 16 percent from the same period last year and accounted for 27 percent of the carrier's total revenue.